Melatonin and mesenchymal stem cells co-administration alleviates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease via modulation of angiogenesis at the vascular-alveolar unit.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered a severe disease mitigating lung physiological functions with high mortality outcomes, insufficient therapy, and pathophysiology pathways which is still not fully understood. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow play an important role in improving the function of organs suffering inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune reaction. It might also play a role in regenerative medicine, but that is still questionable.

Prediction of acute kidney injury using a combined model of inflammatory vascular endothelium biomarkers and ultrasound indices.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of sepsis, with the burden of long hospital admission. Early prediction of AKI is the most effective strategy for intervention and improvement of the outcomes.

Objective: In our study, we aimed to investigate the predictive performance of the combined model using ultrasound indices (grayscale and Doppler indieces), endothelium injury (E-selectin, VCAM-1, ICAM1, Angiopoietin 2, syndecan-1, and eNOS) as well as inflammatory biomarkers (TNF-a, and IL-1β) to identify AKI.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) switched macrophage into M2 phenotype and mitigated necroptosis and increased HSP 70 in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Background And Aim: Many attempts to control acute kidney injury (AKI) have failed due to a lack of understanding of its pathophysiological key components. Macrophages are a crucial determinant of AKI, which can be categorized functionally as M1 pro-inflammatory and M2 anti-inflammatory macrophages. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is currently being investigated as an immune modulator.

22-oxacalcitriol prevents acute kidney injury via inhibition of apoptosis and enhancement of autophagy.

Background: The pathophysiology of ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI) is thought to include a complex interplay between tubular cell damage and regeneration. Several lines of evidences suggest a potential renoprotective effect of vitamin D. In this study, we investigated the effect of 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT), a synthetic vitamin D analogue, on renal fate in a rat model of ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) induced acute kidney injury (AKI).

The cellular selection between apoptosis and autophagy: roles of vitamin D, glucose and immune response in diabetic nephropathy.

Background And Aims: Apoptosis, autophagy and cell cycle arrest are cellular responses to injury which are supposed to play fundamental roles in initiation and progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). The aims of the present study is to shed light on the potential effects of vitamin D analog 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT) on different cell responses during DN, and the possible interplay between both glucose, immune system and vitamin D in determining the cell fate.

Method: All rats were randomly allocated into one of three groups: control, vehicle-treated DN group and OCT-treated DN group.

Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study.

Objective: There is a research gap in studies that evaluate the effectiveness of a school-embedded mindfulness-based intervention for both students and teachers. To address this gap, the present pilot study reviews relevant literature and investigates whether students and teachers who participate in separate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses show improvements across a variety of psychological variables including areas of mental health and creativity.

Methods: The study applied a controlled waitlist design with three measurement points.